Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

If you are, I can really use your help! My mom turns 60 today, but she's out of town with my dad right now. I want to surprise her with some kind of massage gift basket for them to enjoy when they get back, but not sure where to even start. I never even had a massage before lol. I know, I know I need to try it! She has a massage table as well as a hot stone heater, but I've notice she doesn't have any products like lotions, oils, creams, whatever you use. All she has is olive oil, which is nice I guess, but I want her to have something where she has variety. She's really interested in getting into aromatherapy as well as chavutti. Any suggestions on what to get her? I have a couple weeks to order whatever is necessary since they won't be getting back until mid-July. Oh, yeah and she isn't allergic to anything related to beauty products that she knows of, but has sensitive, dry skin. I hope to find some insight on where to even start...

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

I've had many massages. I have one about every 3 weeks, actually. But mine is a therapeutic massage, not relaxation. And it's with a licensed massage therapist (who is also a nurse). At first I was thinking that you wanted to give your mom a gift of a massage, but it sounds like she's doing massages.

Is she licensed/trained? I can ask my therapist if she works through a supply store, but it might be something that requires a license to be able to shop there.

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

It's more of a thing between my dad and her. They give eachother massages and have a room dedicated for my mom's new interests in different types of massages. I'm just looking on something to give her to benefit them both

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

If you want to mix it up a little bit with more expensive/ high-end natural products and some ayurvedic options, sesame oil and coconut oil are traditionally used in ayurveda. Coconut Oil is a bit greasy/ heavy/ might get her massage table sheets oily, but she could mix that in with the Rose Otto oil (in the palms) to get the best of both worlds. Coconut Oil is also nice to use before a bath (to prevent the skin from drying out).

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

Since she only uses Olive oil, does she tend to only like/use all natural products?

I am def into essential oils. There is a great company based in Colorado called Ananda Apothecary. They have all kinds of sales and promos (I got 2 free products last time I places a $50 order- which was a few weeks ago- I bought some items for CINV for my aunt). Their products are high quality yet not over priced.

The oils I own are bolded above. I think lavender is a great one to start with and chamomile is great too (I prefer roman chamomile over german) . I think geranium smells a little funky but that's just me.

Essential oils are very strong! Make sure to dilute according to the specific oils directions. Some oils are ok to apply neat (or without dilution) but some oils will cause a reaction if not in a carrier/base oil.

Three great books on the subject are:

1. The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils: The Science of Advanced Aromatherapy by Kurt Schnaubelt

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

Whoa! Tons of info, I really appreciate it. I think I'm gonna start her off with the #2 book you suggested and a couple of essential oils. They're so multi-tasking! Sweet almond, lavender, and chamomile is on my list! I use chamomile as a pillow mist at night, it's rather relaxing indeed!

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

@spyski I think the 3 items you have listed are perfect! And the book is awesome. I recently made an essential oil recipe to strengthen my nails (they are mad at me for all the Sephora OPI polish I have been using). I posted the recipe on my blog just 2 days ago so it was cool that you asked about this today.

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

Cool beans! I think I may add a couple more oils. I know there are a ton of sites that offer essential oils but the one you provided seems like they only use the purest of pure and are legitimate! I'm looking for another oil to add in there, any ideas? I want something to go with the carrier oil I picked out which is almond or olive oil. An oil targeted for muscle pains, joints?

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

Bouncing in here...

You usually put 2-3 drops per essential oil into a 'base' or 'carrier' oil. For relaxation, some good scents to try are lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang, patchouli, or sandalwood.

On a side note, don't know if you have ever seen the Aromatherapy Massage Oils that Bath & Body Works makes, but they are really nice. And on sale today... (nudge/enable). My favorite scents are the Vanilla Verbena, Black Currant Vanilla, and Eucalyptus Spearmint.

Re: Any of you lovely ladies into full body massages?

Just spent a some time w/ my friend last night working on a custom perfume blend...she makes a face oil and I realized (after smelling it growing in her garden) that rose geranium is one of the oils that makes the scent of the product so addictive. I'm not well-versed on its aromatherapy/ skincare benefits, but it is a very clean/ uplifting floral scent. Would recommend adding this oil to her basket!